Customer Water Quality Officer

Thames Water Ltd; Reading; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company van

Annual leave 24 days

Pension scheme

Health & wellbeing benefits

Job summary

Thames Water in Reading is hiring a Customer Water Quality Officer to test water samples in domestic homes and businesses, and to manage sampling records and equipment, following industry standards. You will travel between sites as part of a large coverage area and support with investigation of supply issues or customer complaints.

Working hours are 38 per week, 7:30 am–3:30 pm, with standby rota 7:30 am–5 pm and occasional weekend work; a company van is provided and benefits include holiday,

Qualifications

• Experience in customer-facing roles and ability to visit domestic homes and businesses.
• Good planning and organisational skills.
• Confident driver with clean manual licence.

Responsibilities

• Test water samples in domestic homes and businesses.
• Oversee sampling records and maintain sampling equipment to industry standards.
• Support investigation of supply issues or customer complaints.

Skills

Driving

Customer-facing

Route planning

Computer literacy

Job description

Job title Customer Water Quality Officer Ref 44928 Division Asset Operations & Capital Delivery Location Reading - Fobney - RG2 0SF Contract type Permanent Full/Part-time Full-time Salary Competitive starting salary of £29,349 per annum Job grade A Closing date 18/11/2026

This is a fantastic opportunity to step right into the heart of our operation, representing Thames Water out in the field and playing a vital role in safeguarding the quality of our water. Every year, we carry out over 500,000 checks on samples taken from treatment centres, reservoirs, and across our network — all to ensure the water reaching our customers’ taps is clean, safe, and of the highest standard.

If you want a role where your work genuinely matters and your contribution is felt across entire communities, this is your chance to make a real difference

What you’ll be doing as a Customer Water Quality Officer

• You’ll be on the move a lot, travelling between different customers and sites, working as part of a lively team covering quite a large area.
• Your main job will be testing water samples in domestic homes and businesses.
• You’ll oversee the management of your sampling records and maintenance of sampling equipment ensuring they are kept to industry standards.
• You might also assist with investigating supply issues or customer complaints now and again.

Base Location:

Working Hours:

38 hours a week - 7:30 am to 3:30 pm. The role includes participation in a standby rota with working hours 7:30 am to 5 pm and involves working weekends one in every five weeks. An additional payment will be provided for standby.

What you should bring to the role

• We need someone who’s done a bit of driving and is confident in a medium-sized vehicle in busy areas with a high volume of traffic.
• You will have a customer-facing experience, and you will need to be comfortable visiting domestic houses and businesses.
• You must have a clean manual driving licence.
• Good at planning your routes, are organised and happy to set up your day and work by yourself.
• It’s a plus if you already know a bit about the water industry, but if not, this is a fantastic opportunity to learn.
• Good computer literacy and attention to detail as this is a technical role that requires you to follow detailed procedures.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive starting salary of £29,349 per annum.
• Use of a company van for business purposes.
• Annual Leave - 24 days holiday per year, increasing to 28 with the length of service. (plus bank holidays)
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

Please note as part of the screening process, you will be asked to complete a short 30-minute assessment. This helps us understand your suitability for the role and ensures you have the core skills needed to succeed.

Find out more about our benefits and perks (Please note different T&Cs apply if on secondment)

Who are we?

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process . If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know, we’re here to help and support .

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.